brooks



( No Model.)

E. J. BROOKS.

SEAL AND TAG THEREFOR.

Patented Nov. 28,1893.

mflonm. LITHQERAF'HING COMPANY,

wnsmuewu. u. c,

STATES PATENT Fries.

EDWARD J. BROOKS, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE E. J.BROOKS & COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SEAL AND TAG THEREFQR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 509,610, dated November28, 1893.

Application filed June 20,1893. Serial No.478,228. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

l 3e it known that I, EDWARD J. BROOKS, a cltlzen of the United Statesof America, and a resident of East Orange, in the State of New Jersey,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Seals and Tags Therefor,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates primarily to combined seals and tags, forsecuring the fastenings of railway freight-cars, and for like uses; andit relates to that class of seals in each of which a shackle of flexiblesingle wire is combined with a compressible seal part of lead, and tothose tags for such seals more particularly which are made of printed orembossed sheet-metal, usually tin (tin-plate).

The present invention consists in certain novel combinations of parts,hereinafter set forth and claimed; and its objects are, first, toinseparably unite a Wire shackle, a leaden seal-part and a tin tag, allof very light weight, so as to produce a tagged seal which is at oncecheap, safe and readily handled, and, secondly, to facilitatepreliminarily uniting the shackle and seal-part and by the same means toeffectively resist any attempt to open the pressed seal-part so as toliberate either shackle-end; the combination by which the object laststated is accomplished being also capable of embodiment in seals withouttags.

A sheet of drawings accompanies this specification as part thereof.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a full length View of the shackle of thecombined seal and tag which is further represented by Figs. 2 to 8inclusive, and of the seal represented by Fig. 13. Fig. 2 is a series ofviews of the sealpart of said seal and tag as molded or cast, with anappended edge view of the tag in dotted lines. Fig. 3 shows the obverseand reverse of the tag before it is attached. Fig. 4 represents alongitudinal section through the preliminarily united seal part and tag.Fig. 5 is a like view of the same as preliminarily attached to theshackle. Fig. 6 is a like view of the seal and tag ready for theseal-press. Fig. 7 is a small scale representation of the pressed sealand tag. Fig. 8 represents a longitudinal section through the same onthe same scale as Figs. 1 to 6. Fig.

9 is a small scale elevation of the shackle of a modified seal and tag,further represented by Figs. 10 to 12. Fig. 10 shows side and end viewsof the seal part of said modified seal and tag. Fig. 11 is alongitudinal section of the same as preliminarily united with the tagand shackle. Fig. 12 is a sectional elevation of the seal and tag readyfor the press, showing a face View of the tag. Fig. 13 is a like view ofa seal without tag constructed according to the same invention in part.

Like letters and numbers refer to like parts in all the figures.

Each of the above embodiments of this invention comprises a flexibleshackle A of single wire having close spiral coils, 1, 2, of differentdiameters, at its respective ends, the larger coil 1 being adapted toadmit the other freely within it as in Figs. 6 and 13, or through it asin Fig. 12. Another part common to all is a compressible seal-part B, oflead; one end, marked 3 in Figs. 2, 4 and (3, or the whole of suchseal-part, being a hollow cylinder fitted internally to said larger coil1 of the shackle A, so as to provide for preliminarily uniting theshackle and seal-part, as in Fig. 5 or Fig. 11, by the insertion of saidcoil, and the slightest compression of the cylinder, as between thefinger and thumb of the hand which holds the seal-part. This is done atthe factory, before shipping the seals and tags, or seals.

In the combined seal and tag illustrated by Figs. 1 to 8 inclusive, theseal-part B has a hollow fiat end 4, cast with a stud 5 on one side asin Fig. 2, which admits the perforated end 6 of a tag 0, as in dottedlines in the figure. The light stroke of a hammer drives in said stud 5,and forces its metal into the hole of said perforated end 6 of the tag,so as to preliminarily attach the tag, as in Fig. 4. The tag 0 isintended to be cut from tin printed and perforated in the sheet. As thusmade, both sides, a and b Fig. 3, may conveniently be provided withdistinguishing marks, as represented. It may instead be simultaneouslypunched, embossed and stamped out by means of suitable dies, ifpreferred. In either case it may be very small and lightas compared withthe lettered shackles the place of which it takes. The seal-part B isnext preliminarily united with the shackle A in the manner abovedescribed, as illustrated by Fig. 5. The seal and tag is then ready forthe market.

In use, the shackle A is passed through cardoor staples D, Fig. 7, orthe like, and its smaller coil 2 is inserted into said coil 1 as in Fig.6. A seal-press is then applied, and the seal-part B is therebycompressed and provided with distinguishing marks 7, as illustralied byFigs. '7 and S, which completes. the sea The modified seal and tagillustrated by Figs. 9 to 12 is composed of a single-wire shackle Ahaving large and small coils 1 2 at its respective ends, a compressibleleaden seal-part B, and a tin tag 0 having a perforated upper end 6, asabove described. Its shackle A has in addition a hook Sin continuationof its larger coil 1; its sial-part B is a plain open-ended hollowcylinder; and the parts are assembled by hooking a tag C on said hook 8,and slipping a seal-part B endwise over said coil and said perforatedend, and slightly pressing it as between finger and thumb topreliminarily unite the parts, as in Fig. 11. In use it is or may beapplied, asin Fig. 12, and solidified and stamped in a sealpress, likethe seal and tag above described.

The seal without tag illustrated by Fig. 13 is composed as above of saidshackle A Fig. 1 and a seal part B similar to those above described asregards the hollow cylinder feature. In the seal without tag, aseal-part B cylindrical throughout is conveniently provided with a solidlower end 9. Its parts are preliminarily united like the shackle andsealpart of either of the combined seals and tags above described, andit is or may be applied, to car-door staples D or the like, and thenpressed, in like manner. If the coils 1 and 2 coils mutually enter theopposite interspaces as the coils are flattened in the seal-press,presenting finally the appearance in section represented in Fig. 8,which absolutely precludes their separation without the completedestruction of the seal. If,instead, the smaller coilis permitted toenter beyond the larger coil, as in Fig. 12, the seal-part presses moreeasily, and is reasonably secure against being tampered with withoutdetection. In either case the flattened larger coil precludes thewithdrawal of the smaller coil, and also effectively prevents itsliberation by cutting into the lead edgewise.

Eyeleted paper or, the like may be substituted for tin, and any suitablecompressible material for lead; and other .like modifications willsuggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

Having thus described the said improvement, I claim as my invention anddesire to patent under this specification- 1. A combined seal and tagcomposed of a flexible shackle, of single wire, having coils ofdifferent diameters, at its respective ends, adapted to be inserted onewithin the other, a seal-part embracing the larger coil, and a tag,having a perforated end embraced by said seal-part, and preliminarilyunited with said seal-part and shackle, substantially as hereinbeforespecified.

2. The combination with a compressible seal-part having a hollowcylindrical portion of a flexible shackle of single wire having acylindrical coil at one end tightly embraced by said cylindrical portionof the seal-part and a smaller coil at its other end loosely fitted tothe interior of the coil first named, substantially as hereinbeforespecified.

EDWARD J. BROOKS.

WVitnesses:

H, L. O. WENK, GEO. J. WENK.

